Trapped
by iflip4dolphins
Summary: It wasn’t that she was claustrophobic, it was just that small spaces made her feel cramped. Gracefulshipping, some hints of Franticshipping.


_Disclaimer: No, for the last time._

_A/N: I love this shipping and I was browsing FFnet to see how many fics there were -- and I got maybe two. Two out of 28 thousand. So, here's a Gracefulshipping oneshot with hints of Franticshipping because this pairing rocks._

* * *

_Of course. The one time I come to Sootopolis, I get trapped in the Cave of Origin. Wonderful_, Winona thought angrily as she tried to pry a boulder from the blockade that prevented her from leaving the cave.

She'd come to Sootopolis to see if there was anything about the ancient feud between Groudon and Kyogre. Like, oh, say, if they'd try to kill each other without guidance from the orbs. All of the gym leaders were working on finding out as much as they could about the orbs and the legendaries so they could prevent anything like the Magma and Aqua disaster that happened only a few months ago from happening again. Wallace should really have been investigating the Cave of Origin, as it was his city and he was the official guardian of the cave, but he had to go judge a contest in Lilycove and it was virtually impossible for him to be in two places at once.

Which meant that Winona had had to come, despite her protests. Though she was the gym leader in charge, insofar as she held the meetings and kept everyone from killing each other (most notably Roxanne and Brawly), everyone else had other things that they had to do when it came to this.

And of course, there'd been a cave-in. She had been close to the exit, ready to leave the Cave of Origin, when the entire cave had shook and rocks had tumbled down from the ceiling, encasing her in a space about two feet wide on all sides. It was a miracle that she hadn't been crushed.

Unfortunately, the small space meant that she couldn't send out any of her bird Pokemon to keep her company, even if they wouldn't be of any help whatsoever.

Equally unfortunately, the small dark space was getting to her.

It wasn't that she was claustrophobic, it was just that small spaces made her feel cramped. Particularly small underground spaces. They smelled of dirt and the air was stale, and, invariably, dust found its way into her lungs. The only other time she could remember being trapped underground was when she got lost in the Dewford cave, the name of which escaped her mind. That part of her was currently trying not to panic. Even then, it was different. For one thing, there was light. For another, she was just lost, meaning there was a lot more room. Here, she was trapped in a space barely big enough to be considered a closet.

Winona really wasn't in a very comfortable position. The cave ceiling was low here, and she was forced to half crouch. She was trying to pry out rocks from the walls, but was failing miserably. She couldn't stand up all the way, she couldn't sit down all the way due to the rocks that littered the small two feet by two feet space, her foot was caught between two rocks, she thought she might have broken her ankle, and she'd been in here for over three hours.

Yeah. Not pleasant.

She was tired, she was hungry, and she could smell the fresh air outside. Torture, she decided. Pure torture. A part of her almost wished that Wallace was there, but the rest of her smashed that notion into bits before it was there very long. She didn't know if she could face him just yet, not right after the Legendary battle, and especially since they hadn't much talked to each other after that rather…well…failed relationship.

Besides, it wasn't as if people weren't trying to dig her out. She could hear them; a bunch of people on the other side trying to cart away rocks. However, the rocks were big and heavy, and since nearly everyone here possessed water Pokemon, it was a bit of a problem. However, she knew that both Ruby and Sapphire were out there helping, mostly because she could hear them arguing with each other at the top of their lungs.

"I got dirt on my clothes!" Ruby, definitely.

"Dirt?!" This voice was Sapphire's. "Coach is stuck in a rockslide and you're worried about _dirt?_"

"Not really. I'm just saying –"

"Well, don't!"

"You're right next to me! You don't need to yell!"

"You're yelling!"

"What is going on here?"

Winona gasped, then winced as her ankle let out a protesting throb. That voice….It _couldn't_ be…

"Master!" Ruby sounded very surprised.

Wallace. Despite the fact that she wasn't sure she could face him no more than five minutes ago, she was now filled with a definite longing, combined with a nearly uncontrollable panic and another slash of pain from her injured ankle. Trapped alone, in the dark, in a small, enclosed space – she needed him. Her logical side, the side of her that refused steadfastly to this reaction, was trampled over by her emotional side.

She opened her mouth to call out, breathed in – and immediately inhaled a large amount of dust. Winona began to cough, her throat sore from lack of water and disuse for near three hours. Through her coughs, she heard Ruby and Sapphire, who had been taking turns (in other words, interrupting each other and talking over the other) explaining what was going on, fall silent.

"Winona?" she heard Wallace call through the stone. "Are you all right?"

"My foot," Winona replied, a note of panic seeping through her normally calm voice. She mentally slapped herself for that and continued, "It's stuck…I think my ankle's broken…"

"Anything else?"

"Other than muscle cramps and a lungful of dust?" Winona asked. "Not really." _Except for the panic, _she thought wryly.

There was hesitation from the other side, then: "All right." His voice held a hint, just a hint of knowing, meant for her and her alone. He knew about her panic. When he spoke again, it was without that hint. "The stone's nearly cleared away. You'll be out of there soon."

That lifted her spirits, but only a bit. After all, she was still trapped in the rock and her ankle was throbbing again. As the rocks shifted they dislodged dust, forcing Winona to place a slightly bruised hand over her mouth so that she wouldn't have a repeat coughing fit. When it was clear that the dust wasn't going to settle, she removed her hand and pushed as hard as she could against the stone.

Her fingers were not met with stone, but greeted by an almost leathery feel. She drew her hand away quickly and peered at it. The object squirmed, wrapped around a rock, and brought it away with a thud. The rest of the rocks, without that one to hold them up, tumbled to the ground, kicking up a great cloud of dust. Winona closed her eyes and tried not to breathe in.

The pressure on her ankle faltered, and then was taken away entirely. Winona felt unsteady; her knees that she had been forced to kneel on gave out on her and she collapsed. A pair of arms caught her before she hit the ground. "Are you all right?" Wallace asked her softly.

Without once opening her eyes, she slid her arms around him and leaned into him. "What a stupid question," she murmured, faint with relief and exhaustion.

"C'mon Dono," she heard Sapphire say, uncharacteristically quiet. "Let's go."

This was obviously meant for Ruby too, because a moment later she heard, "What?" coming from the co-ordinator. Winona opened her eyes and she and Wallace turned to look at the significantly younger duo.

"We have some things to talk about," Sapphire informed him tartly. "Let's. Go." And with that, the trainer wrapped her hand around his wrist tightly and dragged him behind her in the direction of the Pokemon Center, with many complaints on Ruby's part.

"It never ceases to amaze me how they can both hate and love each other at the same time," Wallace commented after a moment.

"That reminds me of a few other people," Winona said lightly. "Us, for one."

"Can I respectfully decline an opinion on that?"

"If you help me up and bring me to the hospital for my ankle."

"That I can do." He helped her to her feet and then gave her a look. Despite his words before, she knew what he was going to say, and she also knew that it was her fault for bringing it up. "So, was that a reference to the past?"

"Perhaps," Winona answered carefully. When the look did not change, she sighed. "I don't know yet, Wallace. I honestly don't know."

"Then I shall say nothing more about it and simply enjoy your presence while I can."

Winona rolled her eyes, but smiled slightly, nodded, and limped with him to the hospital. When Wallace snaked his arm around her waist for support, she did not protest. Nor was she able to fully hide the pink that tinted her cheeks at his touch.


End file.
